Ready for an IT power shift? Technology is becoming less about raw technical skills and more about the art and science of what is loosely defined as “integration.” As TechRepublic’s Patrick Gray notes:

Whereas in decades past your key players in most IT departments were the exceptional developers, key roles are increasingly filled by those who can best integrate readily available components. Even software development has moved in this direction, with the most capable developers being the ones who can creatively write the “glue” that leverages existing libraries, connects to external services, and delivers a new experience in weeks that would take months or years to develop from scratch.

As we move from proprietary libraries to open APIs, and “anyone with a browser can tap into everything from freely available open-source development environments to cloud-based storage and processing power,” assembling a clever whole from those disparate parts becomes a vital skill, Gray says.

Money Saving Move?

Is there money to be saved along the way? Sure, especially when enterprise architects successfully tap into pay-as-you-go cloud-based services. But the real story is about this unprecedented shift toward a more flexible and componentized development environment, a shift that will continue to occur regardless of the prevailing economic conditions. Some of this work will take IT out of its comfort zone as outside service providers begin to rely on a new set of partners. As Gray says, “Old vendor relationships may no longer be as critical, and you might end up dealing with anyone from Amazon to Apple, players who only recently began to play in the enterprise space.”

But that’s OK. What matters most is that development is becoming faster and more flexible, and companies of all sizes now have access to resources they can use to innovate and evolve.